A two-time Eastern Kentucky University (EKU) graduate, Mr. Mark Sweet, was named the 2024 College of Science, Technology, Engineering, and Mathematics Award recipient. The college’s highest honor is presented to individuals who have made impactful contributions to the college.
On receiving the College of STEM award, Mr. Sweet had this to say, “Considering the substantial number of talented and distinguished graduates from EKU’s science programs, I am tremendously humbled to have been considered for and awarded this honor.”
Mr. Sweet graduated from EKU with a B.S. degree in Geology in 1982 and a B.A. in Anthropology in 2009. He obtained his Kentucky Professional Land Surveying license in 1986 and holds professional geology licenses in multiple states. He has accrued over 42 years of experience in the consulting field. After spending the initial period of his career in the land surveying business and coal industry, from 1988 forward he spent the remainder of his professional career assessing, managing and remediating contaminated properties both as Principal and President of three environmental consulting firms. In this capacity, he performed many environmental assessments and prepared numerous remedial action plans on a variety of sites for private and corporate clients, including several major oil companies. He semi-retired in 2021 and currently works with his son, also a graduate of EKU’s geology program, performing a broad range of environmental work.
Mr. Sweet has served on multiple Boards in Kentucky, including the Kentucky Water Well Driller’s Board, the Kentucky Petroleum Marketers Association, where he was instrumental in the development of that organization’s Technical Advisory Committee, the Kentucky Section of the Institute of Professional Geologists, where he served in a number of officer positions and was awarded a Lifetime Achievement Award in 2020, and the Kentucky Board of Professional Geologists, where he served as Board Chair in the period leading up to his retirement.
Mr. Sweet was among the distinguished founding members of the Dean’s Development Cabinet in the College of Science/College of STEM, on which he served until 2024. He also used his professional success combined with personal generosity to give back to the former Department of Geosciences in several ways including judging class projects, providing students with opportunities to network with professionals, and providing financial support. He is particularly proud of the fact that he was in a position over his career to employ other graduates from EKU, both from the Geology program and the Environmental Science program. According to Mr. Sweet “I found that graduates from EKU’s science programs possessed solid foundational educational skills needed to readily transition to their post education careers.”
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